New Liberalised Drone Rules To Usher In A Landmark Moment For The Sector In India, To Help Startups And Youth: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the new Drone Rules, notified by the Ministry of Civil Aviation today (26 August), usher in a landmark moment for this sector in India.

PM Modi said that the new Drone Rules are based on the premise of trust and self-certification and that they significantly reduce the barriers in approvals, compliance requirements and entry in drone sector.

He also said that the new drone rules will tremendously help start-ups and our youth working in this sector.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister Modi said, "The new Drone Rules usher in a landmark moment for this sector in India. The rules are based on the premise of trust and self-certification. Approvals, compliance requirements and entry barriers have been significantly reduced," PM Modi said.

He further added that the new rules will open up new possibility for innovation and business.

"The new Drone Rules will tremendously help start-ups and our youth working in this sector. It will open up new possibilities for innovation & business. It will help leverage India’s strengths in innovation, technology & engineering to make India a drone hub," PM Modi said.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday (26 August) notified the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021, that replace the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules (UAS), 2021, which came into force in March.

The new rules are aimed at making it significantly easier for people and companies to own and operate drones. They also streamline a complex certification process for manufacturers, importers and users.

“India has the potential to be a global drone hub by 2030 as drones offer tremendous benefits to all sectors of the economy and can be significant creators of employment and economic growth due to their reach, versatility, and ease of use,” the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Thursday (26 August).

As per the new rules, drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries. Several approvals have also been abolished. They include unique authorisation number, unique prototype identification number,certificate of manufacturing and airworthiness, certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, operator permit, authorisation of R&D organisation, student remote pilot licence, remote pilot instructor authorisation, drone port authorisation etc.

According to the new rules, no pilot licence will be required for micro drones (for non-commercial use), nano drones and for R&D organisations. There will no longer be a ban on the use of drones by foreign-owned companies registered in India. No security clearance will be required before any registration or licence is issued.

Further, a Digital Sky platform will also be developed, which manufacturers will be able to use for the certification process, and from where interactive airspace maps with green, yellow, and red zones can be accessed.

Digital Sky will also serve as a unified platform for users to obtain the mandatory registration number and remote pilot license, reports Hindustan Times.